COLUMBIA, SC (June 10, 2013) – A Columbia man considered playing hooky from work last Monday, but went in anyway, taking his $250,000 winning lottery ticket with him.

The ticket was a distraction.

When no one was looking, he’d sneak a peek at the Big Money scratch-off he purchased that weekend at the Li’l Cricket on Main St. in Columbia and smile at the six figure payday.

“I haven’t said a word to anyone,” he confessed to lottery officials when he collected his prize after work.

He’d been too busy daydreaming about the new truck he’ll soon be driving.

Odds of winning one of the three remaining top prizes in the ($10) Big Money game are 1 in 500,000.

For selling the claimed winning ticket, Li’l Cricket #879 received a commission of $2,500.

Since the start of the Lottery in 2002, more than one million college scholarships and grants have been awarded to South Carolina’s students. In all, more than $3 BILLION has been transferred to support educational programs in the Palmetto State.